Ok folks, hoping to get a little direction here. I'm dong the mountaineers route on Mt. Whintey in April 2013. I've been looking at pants and the choices are very overwhelimg. Basically i'm looking at my shoftshell climbing pant. I'm stuck between a couple different ones. I'll have a different hardshell to put over but this will be for the hike geting there and summit day. Just when I think I've got it narrowed down I find something else.

I like my pair of the Stoic Bertol Guide Pant. Schoeller Dryskin fabric, and pretty cheap (I got them for $65) on steep and cheap. I think the fabric is the most important consideration, and next is the cut/build quality.

It took me ages to find the right system, with so many materials and brands out there it gets to be a migrane. Basically a good system is one that breathes and is stretchy and the cut should feel comfortable but not tight. I use the arcteryx gamma mx over an arcteryx rho bottom and that has been great up to six thous meters. The mx has some light insulation that not only adds a layer but also helps block wind. A light base layer fits fine beneath. I go with arcteryx because the cut is superb.

This system won't block wind 100 percent but that will keep you dry and muscles perform best when cool. Most people do not factor in the consequences of overheating and dehydration. Legs are generally warmer than torso when climbing. I carry very lightweight shells in the pack just in case.

Any of the quality softshells will repel snow quite well. If you add in a gaiter then your pants will not see any snow at all unless it is actively precipitating. Heavy , prolonged rain is another issue, but softshells and snow do just fine.

Any of the Schoeller fabrics are a better choice IMO than a windstopper/membraned trouser.

I dont know why all softshell pants seem to be black. When Im walking up a hill I want light colours to help reflect heat not absorb heat. I also like thigh vents. I found a pair of beige Rab softshell pants which are simply lovely wear to wear on glacier and moving upwards.

pvnisher wrote:Any of the quality softshells will repel snow quite well. If you add in a gaiter then your pants will not see any snow at all unless it is actively precipitating. Heavy , prolonged rain is another issue, but softshells and snow do just fine.

Any of the Schoeller fabrics are a better choice IMO than a windstopper/membraned trouser.

i saw that many of the mountain pants these days come with a built in gater .

@radson- I'm with you on colors other than black. At one point I realized that my pants, jacket, gloves and hat were all black. I was like a frickin' ninja. I've since made it a point to not buy anything black if I can avoid it. Gloves and softshell pants are hard to find in other colors often, but I've done it: gray pants and red gloves.

@strider - I am ambivalent on built-in gaiters. They help to keep out snow, yes, but unless they're removeable can make a warm day a bit stifling. Also, traditional gaiters are useful as well for protecting your pants from boots and crampons. And my gaiters have a tough hypalon patch to shrug off crampon strikes, but I wouldn't want a tough patch on my pants.If I were to do it over again, I would buy the thinnest, stretchiest softshell pants I could find. Then use underlayers for warmth when needed.

Depending on your build, I found the Mountain hardwear Warlow pants to be very comfortable. They're just loose enough to be comfy, but tight enough to stay out of the way. Very stretchy, breathable, lightweight, and have ankle zips to aloow the bottoms to fit around your boots. DWR finish makes them water resistant. The pockets however are completely useless except for ventilation purposes.....IF you don't have a harness on. If you're wearing a harness, you better have pockets on your jacket! Other than that, they're awesome and fit very easily over my tights, and under a hardshell. I'm 6-2 205lbs....and fairly thick in the upper leg/hip area and they still fit comfortably.

After all my searching I finally decided on the Mammut Castor softshell pants. Sierra Trading Post had them on sale for 194.00 and had a special 30% off coupon code from Facebook and ended up being 136. Back Country price was 298.00 so I think I got a good pair of pants for a good price. Thanks for your help and suggestions.........